Contributors
Beachcombing Magazine would not be possible without the contributions from our writers and photographers around the world, who bring their stories of the beach and their beach finds through their articles on the pages of the magazine. Please learn more about these talented beachcombers, mudlarks, artists, experts, and collectors below.
In the March/April 2018 issue:
Judith Altruda
Judith Altruda is a metalsmith who creates jewelry in Tokeland, Washington. Her pieces include materials such as ancient coins and Victorian era sea glass, whose stories inspire her designs. She is influenced by travel, nature, and the human experience. Read more at judithatrudajewelry.com. Articles ›
Meg Carter
Meg is the artist behind Made by Meg Genuine Sea Glass Jewelry—specializing in sea glass and diamond engagement rings—and its sister company, Prism Sea Glass. She is the creator of the Carter Sea Glass Color and Rarity Guide. Meg lives in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, with her husband and business partner, Jon, and their two daughters. Articles ›
Phyllis Ford
Phyllis has been a beachcomber since she could barely walk. She collects sea glass, shells, and wishing rocks on the coast of Maine with her two children. When she’s not on the beach, she helps companies create optimized online experiences through better UX design. Find her on Instagram @seacliff_design.
Mary Louise “Wiesy” Lauffer
Wiesy is a lifelong beachcomber and artist living in coastal Delaware with her husband, Carl. A retired Virgin Islands art educator, she creates jewelry, sea glass/stained glass work, and crafts with her extensive collection. More at virginseaglass.com or on Facebook at Virgin Islands Seaglass.
Mary T. McCarthy
Mary is a bestselling author, reiki master, and founder of TheHealingBeach.com. She is Education Chair and Secretary of the North American Sea Glass Association and Executive Director of The Sea Glass Center. You can find her on Instagram @marytmccarthy or on the beaches of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. Articles ›
Paula Newman
Paula of Peblsrock.uk lives in Seaham, England, and has been collecting sea glass since childhood. Seaham Beach has been the inspiration for The Legend of Mermaids Tears series and the Pocket Guide to Seaham Sea Glass, with companion guides planned for this year. Articles ›
Pauline O’Riordan
Pauline is a retired art teacher with two children, seven grandchildren, and one great grandchild. She lives in Dublin, Ireland, and has been involved in charity work all her life. She began beachcombing in her golden years and loves sharing her good fortune. Seeing her shards in their new homes gives her endless joy.
Jennifer Reed
Jennifer Reed got her BFA in metalsmithing from Edinboro University. In 1996 she started a sea glass-based business Relish, the first brick and mortar shop in the country built on sea glass. Relish focuses on custom, handmade beach glass jewelry and art by skilled metalsmiths. Jennifer is a founding member of NASGA and the promoter of the Great Lakes Beach Glass & Coastal Arts Festival. Read more at www.relishinc.com. Articles ›
Jason Sandy
Jason is an American architect living and working in London. Beachcombing along the River Thames, he has found extraordinary artifacts, which are now on permanent display in museums around the United Kingdom. He is a member of the exclusive Society of Thames Mudlarks. Find him on Instagram @jasonmudlark. Articles ›
Kirsti Scott
Graphic designer and sea glass collector, Kirsti Scott of Etched by the Sea creates sea glass art and designs and she is the publisher and creative director of Beachcombing Magazine. She lives on the central coast of California with her husband, a couple of ginger cats, and occasionally their three grown children. When not wandering the beaches in Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties looking for sea glass, she is the creative director and founder of web design firm, Scott Design. She has degrees in Economics from Stanford University and Graphic Design from Rhode Island School of Design. Articles ›
Previous Contributors:
Jessica Anderson
Jessica Anderson is a writer, artist, educator, and mermaid at heart with a passion for bringing together her creativity with her love of the sea. This passion flows through her writing as well as her work as a designer and silversmith for Low Tide Landing, where she turns ocean treasures into jewelry with her husband, Casey. Jessica has also worked as an art teacher for over a decade in Southern California where she lives with her husband and two (soon to be three) children.
Veronica Bagnato
When she’s not working as a travel agent in Galveston’s historic district, you can find Veronica on the beach with her boyfriend and her two Dobermans, making jewelry with her finds, or sharing her love of local artists, sea glass, and Galveston Island on Instagram @TexasBeachCombing.
Mary Beth Beuke
Mary Beth Beuke is a Pacific Northwest US native. She’s traversed the Pacific Coast for a lifetime and has collected from around the globe and studied sea glass for decades. While president of the North American Sea Glass Association (2005-2010) she focused her energies on sea glass education and shoreline ecology. Her elaborate, worldwide collection has been featured on HGTV, The Travel Channel, National Geographic, Smithsonian and more. MB is a sought after speaker and she’s the author of The Ultimate Guide to Sea Glass. She exhibits the West Coast Sea Glass collection and photography at lectures, museums and beachcombing events. An award winning small business owner, Mary Beth lives and uses her beach glass in fine art jewelry which she makes from one of her two studios along Washington State’s Salish Sea. MB has three children and she enjoys kayaking and art photography. Articles ›
Cindy Bilbao
Cindy is the author and photographer of Sea Glass, Sea Glass Seeker, and Seashells, scheduled for a May 2019 release. She is the founder of Sea Glass Searchers Club beach boutique located inside Staintons of Ocean City, New Jersey, and online at SeaGlassSearchersClub.com. Cindy lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two children and visits as many beaches as often as possible, with her camera in tow. Articles ›
Kristina Braga
Kristina Braga is a retired attorney living in Long Valley, New Jersey, with her husband, son and daughter, three boxer rescues, and a pug. She and her husband spend time at their Jersey Shore home, enjoying long walks on the beach and, of course, collecting sea glass and pottery. She also enjoys oil painting, photography, and antiquing. Find her on Instagram @jerseyshorebeachcomber.
Michele Brouder
Michele Brouder, originally from the Buffalo, New York area, now makes her home in Ireland with her husband, two boys, and a dog named Rover. She is the author of the Happy Holiday series and the Soul Saver series which can be purchased through Amazon. She is also a contributor to the anthology, Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Miracle of Love. Articles ›
Clint Buffington
Clint Buffington finds messages in bottles and writes about them. Clint runs the Message in a Bottle Hunter website, where he investigates the history of messages in bottles, shares true stories, debunks myths and hoaxes, and helps the senders and finders of bottled notes connect. Clint holds a Master of Arts degree in Literature from the University of Kentucky; he lives in Utah with his wife and bottle-hunting partner, Kate. Articles ›
Alicia Cockrum
Most weekends you can find Alicia behind the lens of her camera taking photos of the sea glass she finds along the coast of California. She is passionate about her work as a clinical psychologist and runs a small therapy practice in Northern California. She shares her love of sea glass, zen, and photography on Instagram as Tide Charmers.
Lorraine Eaton
Lorraine Eaton has been a staff writer at The Virginian-Pilot newspaper for 30 years, a career she started in the Nags Head, NC bureau. She is the author of “Tidewater Table,” (2013) a local bestselling cookbook, and co-author of the “Food Lover’s Guide to Virginia,” (2014). Her work has won local, state and national awards and she has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Her work is included in three anthologies, including “Best Food Writing 2012,” an annual compilation of the best American essays and stories on the topic.
Denise Fashaw
Denise Fashaw, aka “Queen of Chaney,” is the owner of Chaney Chicks & Island Gifts on St. Croix, USVI. Originally from California, she now resides with her husband and her four pet rescues. When she is not busy custom wrapping beach treasures, you will find her in her “warehouse” snorkeling for sea glass and Chaney.
Rebecca Hadley
Rebecca moved to Galveston, Texas, five years ago, where she lives in a drafty beach cottage and works for an insurance company. In her spare time, she enjoys exploring and photographing the beaches and bays that make the island such a special part of the Texas coastline. See her photos on Instagram @rebeccahadley.
Richard LaMotte
Richard LaMotte is the author of the award-winning book Pure Sea Glass and a recent sequel titled The Lure of Sea Glass. He was a co-founder and past-president of the North American Sea Glass Association. Richard lives and works in works in Chestertown, Maryland. Richard and his book have been featured in The Washington Post, on Martha Stewart Living TV, Coastal Living, Parade Magazine, Baltimore Sun, The Boston Globe, Delaware Beach Life, on NPR and Maryland Public Television.
Nicole Lind
Nicole Lind loves collecting sea glass and all types of flotsam and jetsam on beaches beyond a 13th century castle ruin around the Kingdom of Fife and Edinburgh. Nicole is the founder of TiliabytheSea sea glass jewelry, a trained architect, and an interior designer. You can find her online shop at tiliabythesea.com and follow her on Facebook @Tiliabythesea and on Instagram @tilia_bythesea.
Elizabeth Smith
Elizabeth Smith is a retired educator from Orlando, Florida, who now makes her home in the “Virgin Islands’ Best Kept Secret” St. Croix, USVI. When she is not hunting for sea glass and Chaney on the beaches and around plantation ruins, she is a creator/designer at Chaney Chicks & Island Gifts.
Dr. Lori Verderame
Dr. Lori Verderame is an author, internationally syndicated columnist, and award-winning artifacts expert on the History channel’s #1 hit treasure-hunting show, The Curse of Oak Island. With a Ph.D. from Penn State University and vast experience appraising art, antiques, and artifacts worldwide, Dr. Verderame is the director of www.DrLoriV.com, a resource for identifying art and artifacts. A world traveler and native of New Haven, Connecticut, Dr. Verderame resides in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Articles ›